New Orleans musicians and athletes were among those mourning the loss Monday (Oct. 29) of local rapper Young Greatness, after he was found fatally shot in a Waffle House parking lot.

The New Orleans native, whose birth name is Theodore Jones, is known for his 2015 song “Moolah,” which appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was performed by Jones on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” The song was later remixed with Lil Wayne and Yo Gotti.

Rolling Stone, which featured Young Greatness in March 2016 among a list of “10 New Artists You Need to Know,” on Monday wrote of Jones’ death.

Various media outlets describe Jones as a still-rising star, a hardworking talent who used grit and the “slow burning success” of “Moolah” to make his way onto the hip-hop scene.

According to an interview with New York-based music magazine The FADER, Jones said he began rapping just before Hurricane Katrina hit, having left college due to his father’s death and his mother’s battle with cancer. The FADER and Rolling Stone both report Jones moved to Houston after Katrina and was influenced by the grueling work ethic of that city’s rappers.

“When I went to Houston, it made me wanna go harder because I didn't have anything after leaving everything behind and it was rock bottom,” he said in the March 2016 interview. “So that's where my hustle and passion come from, and that's where I made my decision that this is what I'm doing with my life.”

But music writers regularly noted that the sounds of Young Greatness were distinctly melodic. It was New Orleans, specifically the city’s second lines, that Jones credited with inspiring the melodies that ride atop his beats.

“Every Sunday, I gotta get a hair cut, get new clothes. You’re walking for like 15 miles through the whole New Orleans. So if it’s cold, you’re gonna freeze. If it’s hot you’re gonna sweat. It’s just a party on feet,” Jones told Rolling Stone in 2016.

“Moolah” was released by Quality Control Records, an Atlanta-based label that boasts Migos and Lil Yachty. Before signing to Quality Control, he collaborated with Juvenile on the song “Buku,” with Meek Mill on “Rollie On My Wrist.” He also made music with Pusha T and Gucci Mane.

He performed in 2016 at Lil Wayne’s Lil Weezyana Fest among a lineup that included local hip-hop stars Mystikal, Partners N Crime and 2 Chainz. The following spring, he signed with Cash Money Records.

When reached by phone Tuesday (Oct. 30), New Orleans rapper Dee-1 also made note of Jones’ drive to succeed.

“What stood out most was his work ethic. I would say that he was relentless when it came to wanting to make it,” he said.

Dee-1, whose real name is David Augustine, said he knew Jones from the local hip-hop scene and remembers seeing the rapper work his way into the spotlight.

“(He) went from being unknown to the masses to making his name known and making his presence felt,” Dee-1 said.

“Once he tasted a little bit of success—for some people, that makes them get comfortable,” Dee-1 added. “He just got hungrier for more.”

Jones’ death has spurned discussions about violence in the city and talk of how, upon achieving some success, New Orleans rappers should leave their hometown, Dee-1 said. He describes the idea as “a slap in the face to the citizens of New Orleans."

“No one should have to leave here out of fear,” he said.

Jones often mentioned his hometown and its influence, in all of its complexities, in interviews with national media outlets.

“Growing up in New Orleans there's so much poverty and so much murder, so you only have two choices if you're a young black man: it's either get killed or go to jail. I didn't want to get killed, I didn't want to go to jail,” he told The FADER.

However, along with Hurricane Katrina and his move to Houston, Jones often cited his time in prison as a turning point and motivator to accomplish his musical goals.

New Orleans also provides the setting for the music video for “Moolah,” which is popping with color and New Orleans cultural markers: brass bands, Mardi Gras Indians, boiled crawfish, second lines, cemeteries, a worn-in church. The video’s storyline includes a funeral visit at the church and then a procession, a casket carried by mourners and set afloat in murky water. It ends on a more joyful note with Jones, surrounded by musicians, rapping, a large smile on his face, as his image fades into a view of the city.

New Orleans is an "emotionally driven city; we’re passionate about everything…I never had stage fright,” he told The FADER in 2016. “I never was scared to express myself. I was always ready.”

As word spread Monday morning of Jones’ death, fans and friends of the rapper took to social media, memorializing him with photos and grief-stricken messages.

“It’s a loss for everybody,” Augustine said. “Nobody deserves to get murdered.”

This post was updated Tuesday (Oct. 30) with comments from New Orleans rapper Dee-1.

Laura McKnight covers crime in New Orleans for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.